With such a bombastic premise, Millionaire Detective may turn off audiences just with extremely unrealistic solutions and tech, more akin to a comic book hero than to a grounded detective story yet plenty of realistic cases involving emotional characters are narrated in the story. Detective Haru Kato is one of the protagonists of this series, a realistic take on a talented yet burned out detective, frustrated by a flawed system that hindered his idealistic pursuit of justice. After being demoted to a secondary unit, Kato encounters Daisuke Kambe for the first time, an extremely reserved yet reliable heir whose best problem solving asset is money. With larger than life funds, Kambe relies on his infinite resources in order to solve complex cases alongside a less than thrilled Kato, who prefers traditional questioning and field work for his investigations.
While Kambe´s skills do bring conclusions to seemingly unsolvable cases, Kato´s and the support of other members of the Modern Crimes division is also crucial to later cases. The dynamic of the protagonists evolves with every case, Kambe learns that money can not actually delete all obstacles from his way and Kato recovers his passion for justice by all means necessary. The past of Kambe and Kato is crucial to the story and is explored with flashbacks, that while necessary can feel excessive at times. The climax of the story ties up some of these flashbacks along with the overarching plot of a certain case involving Kambe´s past, reaching a satisfying conclusion to his´and Kato´s character arcs. The side characters, mostly being the others workers of the police department, are relatable and unique, even if they lack focus due to the series´short run.
Even if most of the solutions presented by the series are borderline absurd, they´re extremely amusing. Sci-fi esque technology, an all mighty resourceful AI and a loyal to death assistant all belong to Kambe´s arsenal. Hush money is used to pay for any property damages during the cases (an actual receipt is shown at the end of each episode), highlighting the overall theme of materialism and its consequences in the series. Other themes such as family expectations, the meaning of justice and the ethical usage of technology are also explored during the series, mostly during the final arc.
On the visual aspect, Millionaire Detective has polished animation with attractive character designs, Kambe´s design being the standout on the visual department. Although the usage of CGI can be excessive at times and the action scenes lack fluidity, the series overall is fairly well animated for its type. On the audio department, Kambe´s VA does an excellent job at conveying the smoothness and coldness of a man who has everything. Kato´s VA does a pretty good job too along with the VA for the remaining cast, giving a serviceable performance. The OST by Yugo Kanno (of Jojo´s Bizarre Adventure fame) adds to the fun and energetic atmosphere of the anime, Kambe´s theme being the best track for his character archetype. The OP and ED are also very enjoyable, properly setting the mood and vibes of the story.
Millionaire Detective is definitely a hidden gem from the 2020s, a fun series that can take itself seriously at times with lovable main characters and a satisfying conclusion.
